What type & size of tires to use / what fits? / "best" tire?

[Brad Ripley]

As Scott says above good luck trying to find these tires right now. Maybe Porsche's marketing team is ahead of Pirelli's.

Just now I talked back and forth with Tire Rack about Porsche approvals of these Pirelli tires --The Know Nothing -- about any approvals for these tire sizes/models nor N-number approvals.

[Edwin Ek]

I spent some time on the telephone with Pirelli NA and PCNA, both in Georgia. The fellow at Pirelli was completely clueless. He suggested googling and is supposedly emailing Italy to learn something. The gal at Porsche was on the ball and will do some research with Porsche Classic.

I am seeking to confirm that Pirelli really is making the CN36 tire in a 165-80 size. The Vredestein Sprint Classic is a nice tire, but from all reports not as nice as the CN36.

[Scott McAdams]

Brad and Ed,

Thanks for doing some legwork on this mystery. It's incredible Pirelli would drop the ball on this.

[Chris Placco]

My '62B came with 195/60 BF Goodrich tires on 4 1/2 rims. They didn't rub and rear clearance was not an issue. Nonetheless I couldn't wait to get rid of them. I love the over-bodied, skinny tire look, so going from one extreme (wide, low profile) to the other, I bought a set of Vredestein Classics in 155 x 15 size. They are freshly mounted, look great, and in my brief experience are fantastic. The steering has been transformed and the car just glides through bends the way I'd always thought a 356 should. $99 each from Coker and Universal, and the mounting and balancing of 5, plus disposal, ran a reasonable $150 at my local shop.

I'm looking forward to many happy miles on these new shoes!

[Edwin Ek]

Still on the case for more information. Waiting to here more from Porsche. Sent the gal their own press release about this.

[Edwin Ek]

Good news. The 165-80VR15 Pirelli CN36 tires are really coming. The press release was a little premature. The tires should be available in about 8 weeks from the dealer (or at least available for ordering). I hope that they show up at other, cheaper places too. The 185-70 size is sold in a few places, including Longstone Tyre in England, which has good prices and free shipping to the US.

I am putting 165's on the front and 185's on the rear. And now will use the CN36 instead of the Vredestein Sprint Classic.

[Scott McAdams]

Ed,
Thanks for tracking this down! If you feel up to it, perhaps you could post a pic of the tires when you get them.

[Mark Todorovich]

Very interesting I put a couple hundred thousand miles on CN36's on my 85' 911 when it was my daily driver. Might have been 7 or 8 sets over the twelve years. I liked them so much I even had them on my racing bicycle. My car never felt better than with new CN36 's and a fresh balance and alignment . It was as good as hitting a balata ball dead center with a forged iron.
Perfect. I hope the Chinese have the same molds!

[Edwin Ek]

Mark, these tires are made in Italy by Pirelli. At least for the time being ... Very nice and reassuring to hear that they are such good tires. I bet you were wearing out the rears three times as fast.

Pirelli tires for your bicycle? Like to hear more about that.

Scott, my car is emerging from a lengthy storage and should be on the road within a few months. I will wait to buy tires until it is truly ready to go. Sometimes things drag on.

[Jim Alton]

I'm not sure Pirelli still makes bicycle tires but they did. I think I may even have used them some years ago.
Google did turn up this picture from http://classiccycleus.com/home/1930s-emil-wastyn/

Pirelli tire on a wood rim

[Bil Brown]

I`ve always liked the 175/70 15 CN36 tires on my 356 cars. These are on 5.5" rims, but look and work well on 4.5 wheels. I bought this set from Lucas Vintage Tires about 7 years ago.....w/tubes.

[Cliff Hanson]

I just bought four Nanking CX668 165x15 tires for $52.70 each at Discount Tire. They matched the price that Easy-Tire showed online. Decent looking tread design also. They received many good reviews. Hope to get them mounted soon and will report later on handling etc.

I was becoming concerned about the future availability of 165x15 tires priced under $120 each.

Randy, have you mounted and driven on these tires yet? If so, what are your comments? Anyone else have any first hand experience with them?

[David Jones]

I put the Nankang tires on my 59A and after about 200 miles I took them off the rear and put the old Kumho's back on. The handling was strange. It felt like the rear tires were squirming and I tried raising the rear tire pressure from 30 to 35 PSI to see if it would help. It did but not enough for me to feel comfortable at the speed I drive. I shall try them on the "A cab which does not have a camber regulator and see if it feels different. I also drive the cab a little slower as it does not handle as well as the coupe.

[Cliff Hanson]

From what I have read the Vredestein Sprint Classic tire in the 165 HR15 (165/80-R15 equivalent) size is by far the most popular tire with 356 owners. The Pirelli is just now becoming available so no feedback as yet, but it is considerably more expensive than the Vredestein, which typically sells for $119.

I have a great set of 195/65-15 Bridgestone Potenza tires on 944 turbo alloy (spare tire) wheels for normal and aggressive driving. So, I'm only looking for a tire to put on my original 4-1/2" wheels to show the car with. Since they will likely get very few miles on them I'm looking at the Chinese Nankang CX668 in the 165/80-R15 size for $55. I wish there was more feedback on this tire on 4-1/2" rims to help make the decision easier. I wonder if this tire would detract points in concours judging compared to the Vredestein?

I will say my 196/65-15 tires are wide enough that the steering effort has increased noticeably under certain conditions (from what I recall).

[Edwin Ek]

Just spoke to a fellow at the Tire Rack. He knew all about this. The Pirelli CN36 tires will be shipping in 2 weeks. $226 for 165's and $258 for 185's.

That ain't cheap, but neither is a 356 anymore.

Edit: Longstone Tyre is now showing 165's for $244 excluding VAT.